Chapter 22

Prisoner Seventy-Three stands trial before the Nobles and Chancellor in an amphitheater, charged with murdering soldiers. She openly admits to her crimes, mocks the king and court throughout the proceedings, and is sentenced to be fed to the Moltenmaws at dawn, with the deciding vote mysteriously cast by the hooded Incognito King from the upper mezzanine.

The prisoner is escorted through the palace to a circular iron stage in a domed amphitheater where Nobles and the Chancellor sit in judgment. Despite her weakened state from torture, she maintains a defiant attitude, making sardonic remarks about her appearance and the proceedings. The Chancellor reads charges of murdering twenty-three soldiers; she corrects him to twenty-five and adds details about biting off a guard's finger. Evidence is presented—preserved flesh marked with her handwriting—which she does not deny. A Runi with Truthtune abilities confirms when she speaks truthfully. Throughout the trial, she openly insults King Fade (absent from proceedings), questions the competence of his rule, and deliberately antagonizes the court. She admits guilt to all charges and expresses boredom with the proceedings, stating she welcomes death. She notes the Incognito King watching from the upper mezzanine but does not identify him. The Nobles vote on her execution method: half favor drawing and quartering, half favor feeding her to the Moltenmaws. A tie results, broken by the hooded Incognito King raising his hand to vote for the dragons. The Chancellor pronounces her sentence to be executed at dawn in the coliseum.